The Curse of Harrenhal is the one that caused the death of Ser Lyonel Strong and his son Ser Harwin Strong in the House of the Dragon as per the popular rumors spread by their younger son. Although, we know who was behind the attack and how the father-son duo got killed in the first place. But what was the origin of this curse and how does it work? Let us understand the same but before that, let us have a quick recap of the recent activities that went down in Harrenhal.
Back in House of the Dragon Episode 6, we saw that Allicent has found an unusual ally in Ser Larys Strong, the younger son of Hand of the King who is quite creepy if you ask me. She is feeling very lonely because the King would not heed her allegations against Rhaenyra and her kids’ father. She wishes to have her father back as the Hand so that he can help her in her endeavors and also fulfill to be her support at a time. She is projecting all her insecurities onto the king and her child Aegon who is not even aware of any harm that is posed to him.
Although, Ser Larys goes to the prisoners of King’s Landing in the night and makes a deal with them. He says that if the prisoners could help him accomplish a task, he would let them go. Upon agreeing, he makes sure that their tongues are cut out so that even if they are caught, the prisoners will not be able to reveal the truth.
Soon, Ser Larys orchestrates a plan to burn up Harrenhal when his own father and elder brother are at the castle. The two are locked in as the fire burns them and in the end, we see a skeleton rotting in the dirt. Coming back to the point when Larys Strong describes the happenings to Queen Allicent, she is obviously shocked to know everything because she never wanted to kill someone in the first place and let alone the Hand of the King.
Well, this does not rectify the fact that what is done is done and it was done by Ser Larys in order to carry out the Queen’s wishes. He also claims that they can blame this all upon the curse of Harrenhal. Now, what is this curse and how did it find its origin?
The Curse of Harrenhal Explained
Harrenhal is a legendary castle that was built by King Harren of House Hoare. This was before the Targaryens decided to explore the West and Aegon the Conqueror came to Westeros. The King wanted this castle to be the biggest and the strongest in all of the Seven Kingdoms. But when Aegon came, he burned the castle and destroyed the majority of its part.
Obviously, the castle was able to stand the fire because it was not built for the same. This was the first event that marks the curse of Harrenhal. It is said in the current times that whoever passes the gates of the castle should be pure or face doom. It is said that the castle passes judgment on the person who has done wrong in their life. This theory is proven by all the residents who were given the Harrenhal hold in the past as their houses have ceased to exist or something has happened to them. In House of The Dragon, in order to explain the murder of Ser Lyonel Strong and Ser Harwin Strong, this curse was used.
Although, there is no actual fact that establishes the reality of this curse. It can be facts or just superstitions. There were a variety of houses that lived inside Harrenhal which have gone extinct in the past few years. Although, this can be dedicated to the constant wars that happen throughout the Seven Kingdoms at all times.
Also read: How House Of The Dragons Is Learning From Game Of Thrones Mistakes
